This blog features historical information on the railroad lines of the Big Bend/Columbia Plateau region of Washington state.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

MRL 290

Former Great Northern SDP40 321, as the Montana Rail Link 290, leased to the Eastern Washington Gateway and seen in Coulee City, on March 7, 2016. This locomotive is notable in that it was one of 6 built for the GN in 1966 as a passenger engine.

Note in the first photo there are a few telegraph poles still standing here, along with a flanger sign (the dark grey/black sign near the left of the photo) which told plow crews where to raise the plow to avoid hitting crossings and such. In the right hand center background of the photo can be seen the grade which ran straight past this location, heading south to Adrian. This section was abandoned in 1953.

Entering Coulee City. The former depot, seen on the right, has been the Senior Center since 1977. The red building on the left once belonged to the Potlatch Lumber dealer.

Building the train by pulling cars from the south track first.

Starting the pull to leave town. The concrete silos were constructed in the wake of the abandonment of the nearby Mansfield branch. On the left of the train is the former Centennial Mills crib elevator, steel tanks, and warehouse.